Phoenix Zoo
Zoo entrance (2014)
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| Date opened | November 1962 |
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| Location | Papago Park, Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°27′09″N 111°56′57″W / 33.452485°N 111.949258°WCoordinates: 33°27′09″N 111°56′57″W / 33.452485°N 111.949258°W |
| Land area | 125 acres (51 ha) |
| No. of animals | 1,400 |
| Memberships | AZAWAZA |
| Major exhibits | Monkey Village, Harmony Farm, Desert Lives, Stingray Bay, Forest of Uco, Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest”, Isle of the Tiger |
| Website | www |
The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962 and is the largest privately owned, non-profit zoo in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the Maytag family, and operates on 125 acres (51 ha) of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.
The zoo has over 1,400 animals on display and contains 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of walking trails. It is divided into four main themed areas or trails: The Arizona Trail (American Southwest flora and fauna), the Africa Trail (animals from Africa), the Tropics Trail (residents of the rain forests), and the Children's Trail, which includes a petting zoo.
The zoo has been conservation minded from its inception. Soon after it opened it hosted what was thought to be the last few Arabian oryx, which formed the basis of the world herd created for Operation Oryx and eventually allowed the reintroduction of the species into the wild. It now includes a sanctuary to care for animals that are endangered or unwanted.
The Phoenix Zoo began as a personal project of Robert Maytag, who formed the Arizona Zoological Society (now the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation) with the intention of opening a zoo in Phoenix; before this time, there were a few modest proposals to establish a zoo in the fast-growing city, but none moved past the discussion stage.
Although Maytag died unexpectedly a few months before its opening, the zoo opened on schedule in November 1962. It was originally named the "Maytag Zoo", but was renamed the following year to "Phoenix Zoo" to identify it more closely with the community. The zoo was established on the site of a fish hatchery operation built as a Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s, and operated by the Arizona Game and Fish Department until 1959. The zoo has always been a privately owned, non-profit venture.
Although the zoo had some financial struggles in the early 1960s, it grew substantially during the 1970s as it added numerous new exhibits, landscaping features, and visitor amenities. The 1980s saw continued growth, with the addition of African Savanna habitat areas, a children's zoo, a new entrance complex, and other exhibits. During this time, the zoo also underwent a renovation project to divide it into four themed zones (called "trails"), featuring different types of exhibits.
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Wikipedia